Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Materials and Textures for Hair
The secret to convincing hair materials lies in the textures. In particular, using a strand-mapped ramp texture
for the alpha gives a convincing fade for the ends of hair and the base of the hair where it meets the scalp. Of
course, real hair doesn't fade or become transparent at the tips, but real hair is finer than the simulated particle
hair, and different lengths make the hair appear wispier at the end. Alpha transparency mimics the wispiness of
hair around the edges.
The basic hair material properties are shown in
Figure 6-53
. The material is called HairMat, and it is the
second material in the stack for the object (the first material, Material, is the material used on the head mesh).
This means that HairMat is material index 2.
Note that Z Transparency is on, and Alpha is set to zero. This is important, because the hair will get its alpha
values as well as its color from textures.
